Tag Archives: lighthouse

Murchison, Westport and a Swing Bridge

Our destination today is Westport, but we stop several times on along the way.  About an hour into our drive we pull over at the Hope Saddle Lookout.  We knew we would have wonderful views as we had been winding all around the mountains and through the forest.  The clouds were hanging low and dancing around the peaks.

This spot is famous for saving over 30,000 hectares of forest as the NZ government made an accord with the logging companies.

A sweet little church popped up seemingly out of nowhere.

Murchison and NZ Longest Swing Bridge

We arrive into Murchison which is the home to New Zealand’s longest swing bridge.  It is 110 meters long and is suspended 172 meters high over mighty the Buller Gorge.

We were lucky, there were not a lot of tourists here when we arrived.  We paid $10NZD per person and eagerly headed toward the bridge.  It was a fairly calm day, not a lot of wind so the only swinging came from our own weight.

The views were beautiful from the center of the bridge.

When we got to the other side, we discovered several trails that led to a beach and Ariki Falls.  Super easy walks that led us to beautiful places.  The top left photo shows the flood mark in 2021 – check out the white arrow – it is well over 2.5-3 meters tall.

The Ariki Falls were a really nice diversion and oh so pretty.

This is also where they did a lot of gold mining in this location.  They had a replica of a house used by the miners.

Westport

We arrive into Westport about 6 hours after we left Nelson.  It is a nice little beach town.

We enjoy a nice lunch at Donaldo’s and then head to Carters Beach Seaside (our hotel).  Next we drop our bags and make our way to the beautiful, and very long black sand beach.

We then head to Cape Foulwind where there is a nice hike to a lighthouse.  Yep, you read that right, “Cape Foulwind” and it is very obvious why this town got its name once you arrive….yuck!

This photo shows the original wooden lighthouse that was built in the late 1800’s and to the right is the newer digital, unmanned lighthouse.  I like the original one better.

Pretty views from the base of the lighthouse.

Just 5km down the road is the famous seal colony located in Tauranga Bay.  To my surprise, there really weren’t that many seals – maybe they were all out hunting.

We ended our day with a bottle of rose on the beach at sunset.  I’d say this was a good day!

  • Travel:  210km
  • Hotel: Carters Beach Seasisde

Events from this blog occurred during the last week of February.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  Check out the Abel Tasman Caves in our last blog post.

Sunset off Point Venus

Point Venus, off Tahiti

Point Venus is an unexpected beauty.  We did not plan on stopping here but are really happy we did.  You might wonder how this bay got its name?  Well, Captain Cook set up an observation point to watch Venus pass in front of the sun. Cook’s observatory set up to record the transit of Venus.  On this point is an impressive lighthouse, park, upscale crafts market and small eatery.

We landed Sweetie on the black, mysterious sandy beach.  Mysterious because how many black sand beaches have you been on – what is it hiding?  Hmmmm.  The sand sticks to everything and gives your feet a funny freckle look.

Black sand beach at Point Venus, Tahiti

Black sand beach at Point Venus, Tahiti

Polynesians voyaged in canoes across French Polynesia, thousands of years ago, guided solely by the stars.  The voyagers detected each island by its zenithal star (vei’a).  Can you imagine traversing the Pacific Ocean with nothing but astronomical knowledge and nature?  We on the other hand thoroughly enjoy using a half-dozen instruments and digital charts to navigate.

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THE HMS BOUNTY

The HMS Bounty,was a Royal Navy three-mast ship.  She was made famous by the movie “Mutiny on the Bounty” starring Marlon Brando.  Fletcher Christian, the second in command staged a mutiny against Captain Bligh at Point Venus.  The Captain and 19 sailors escaped.  Meanwhile the rest of the crew settled in Tahiti.  The sculpture below presets the mutineers’ names and the Tahitians who accompanied them.

HMS Bounty Marker

HMS Bounty Marker

PIROGUE – CANOE’S

The Tahitian word for canoe or “pirogue” is “Va’a.”  These were used to travel between Hawaii, New Zealand and the Polynesian Islands.  This is no small feat as they  are thousands of miles apart.  There were two types of pirogues in Polynesia.

  • Single Hull with an equalizer used for fishing and short trips between the islands.
  • Double Hull used for big journeys and war.

In addition, Polynesians used pirogues as a receptacle for dead people to transition from life to death.  Young boys used Pirogues to transition into becoming a man.  They boys transition would be through their first shark or bonito fishing exposition.  Certainly a beautiful and ancient Polynesian tradition.

Pirogue - Polynesian Outriggers

Pirogue – Polynesian Outriggers

LIGHTHOUSE

The lighthouse called “Te-ara-o-Tahiti” or “Tepaina Venuti” was built in 1867.  Coral rubble and cut stones from the Gambiers were used to construct it.  It is an eight-floor square lighthouse that originally measured 25 meters high.  However, seven meters were added and its electrification was realized in 1963.  During the war, 1939-1945, the inhabitants hid the lighthouse by painting coconut trees, palms, and nuts on its lower facades.  The lighthouse standing in the middle of the coconut grove became virtually invisible to the Japanese enemy.  Consequently, they had no reference point to land.

Te-ara-o-Tahiti lighthouse

Te-ara-o-Tahiti lighthouse

Here is a photo of Captain Cook

Captain Cook

Captain Cook

This beautiful statute had no plaque, but it was too pretty to not show you.

Sculpture representing history

Sculpture representing history

Additional photos at Point Venus:

Sunset off Point Venus

Sunset off Point Venus

Point Venus Bay

Point Venus Bay